Device for fixing a plurality of electrodes and for supply current thereto

ABSTRACT

A device for fixing a plurality of electrodes and for supplying current thereto, wherein the electrodes by means of a pressing mechanism are pressed to stationary current supply contacts. The pressing mechanism has a pressing member and a power member kinematically associated therewith. The pressing member adapted for pressing at least two electrodes is made as a wedge with its inclined surfaces facing the corresponding electrodes.

United States Patent 1 1 Baglai et al.

DEVICE FOR FIXING A PLURALITY OF ELECTRODES AND FOR SUPPLY CURRENT THERETO Inventors: Vitaly Mikhailovich Baglai, ulitsa Filed:

Semashko d. 10, kv. 54/3; Lev Andreevich Shuru'ev, ultisa Gagarina (1. 10/2, kv. 7; Boris Izrailevich Medovar, Bulvar Lesi Ukrainki, d. 2, kv. 8; Yury Fedorovich Alferov, Bulvar Lepse, d. 29, kv. 64; Igor Valerianovich Pentegov, Zdorozhny pereulok, d. 6, kv. 14; Viktor Andreevich Popov, ulitsa Andreevskaya, d. 11, kv. 2, all of Kiev, U.S.S.R.

Nov. '15, 1972 Appl; No.: 306,822

US. Cl. 13/14 Int. Cl. I-IOSb 7/10 Field of Search ..13/14,15,16,'17

1111 3,801,718 Apr. 2, 1974 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,634,589 1/1972 Krogsrud 13/16 3,717,714 2/1973 Tisaki 3,709,997 l/l973 Medovar et al 13/16 X Primary Examiner- Roy N. Envall, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Holman & Stem 57 ABSTRACT A device for fixing a pluralityof electrodes and for supplying current thereto, wherein the electrodes by means of a pressing mechanism are pressed to stationary current supply contacts. The pressing mechanism has a pressing member and a power member kinematically associated therewith. The pressing member adapted for pressing at least two electrodes is made as "a wedge with its inclined surfaces facing the corre- -'sponding electrodes.

2 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure 1 DEVICE FOR FIXINGA PLURALITY OF ELECTRODES AND FOR SUPPLY CURRENT THERETO BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to equipment used for Carrying out electrometallur gical processes of remelting consumable electrodes into moulds and, more particularly, to devicesfor fixing the electrode and supplying current thereto in electroslag remelting installations. Known in the art are devices for fixing the electrode and supplying current thereto,-employed in elec- In multi-electrode installations his most common to "employ a device for fixing-a plurality of electrodes and supplying current thereto.

This device comprises stationary current supply contacts and a mechanism for pressing the electrodes to said contacts. y The mechanism for pressing the electrodes has a pressing member and a power member. I

The pressing member fixes each electrode in the working position relative to the body of the installation and is mounted on the inclined surface of the latter.

In the above-described device the power member is constituted by the weight of the consumable electrode. Under the weight of the electrode the pressing member moves along the inclined surface and thus ensures the pressing of the electrode to the current supply contacts. This device, however, if used for fixing a plurality of electrodes, will fail to hold them in position and ensure reliable current supply thereto in case the electrodes are considerably light-weight. Moreover, with the electrodes. in the mould of the electroslag remelting installationbeing arranged within small-diameter areas, the

- known device will fail to effect individual pressing of each electrode.

Y I SUMMARY or THE INVENTION Itis an object of the present invention to provide a device for fixing a plurality of electrodes and for supplying current thereto, whose construction is such that the pressing member thereof ensure reliable operation of the device when using it in combination with the moulds of multi-electrode electroslag remelting installations irrespective of the weight of the electrodes and diameter within which the latter are arranged.

The object is accomplished by in a device for fixing a plurality of electrodes and for supplying current thereto, comprising stationary current supply contacts and a mechanism for pressing the electrodes to the contacts having a pressing member, according to the invention, the pressing member of at least two electrodes is made as'a wedge with its inclined surfaces facing the corresponding electrodes, which wedge in kinematically associated with a power member.

It is preferable that for the electrodes of opposite polarities the wedge should be composed of at least two parts mechanicallyinterconnected with, and electrically insulated from, each other.

This ensures reliable fixing. of any number of electrodesywhatever their weight and diameter may be.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS j The device for fixing a plurality of electrodes and for supplying current thereto, according to the invention, comprises stationary current supply contacts 1 and a mechanism for pressing electrodes 2 to the current supply electrodes I. In the herein-described exemplary embodiment of the present device the fixing of two electrodes 2 with the help of one pressing mechanism is considered, though the number of the electrodes may be much greater, depending on the conditions of the remelting process to 'be met.

The mechanism for pressing the electrodes 2 has a pressing member 3 anda power member 4 associated therewith. The kinematic association of the pressing member 3 and of the power member 4 in the present illustrative embodiment of the device is effected by virtue of a rod 5 and a hinge 6. g

The pressing'member 3 is made as a wedge, its inclined surfaces 7 facing the corresponding electrodes 2.

In case the electrodes 2 to be fixed are of the same polarity, the wedge is made integral; if, as in the exemplary embodiment the electrodes to be fixed feature different polarities, the wedgeis composed of several parts that are mechanically interconnected but electrically insulated from each other. In the specific exemplary embodiment of the present device as disclosed herein the wedge consists of three parts: two similar parts 8 and an intermediate part 9 insulated from each other'by spacers l0.

The current supply contacts I are connected by a line conductor 11 with a transformer 12. I

The power member 4 in the biased airoperated mechanism.

The device of the invention operates as follows.

The electrodes 2 are positioned between the current supply contacts 1 and the pressing member 3. The power member 4 urges the pressing wedge-shaped member 3 to pass between the electrodes 2, thereby bringing them apart and ensuring their-tight pressing against the current supply contacts 1.

The wedge being kinematically associated with the power member 4, the pressing effort created by the power member 4 is uniformly transmitted to both electrodes 2, so that several electrodes 2 can be fixed at once. The electrodes 2 having been fixed, the current supply contacts 1 are coupled to the transformer 12 through the line conductor 11. In the course of melting the opposite polarity electrodes 2 are pressed by the surfaces 7 that are insulated from each other by the spacers 10 to the current supply contacts 1; on completion of the melting the wedge is retracted, portion of the electrodes 2 being thus released.

given case is a springthe unmelted I Such a device for fixing the electrodes ensures the fixing of and reliable current supply to a plurality of electrodes of any diameter and weight, whatever the diameter within which the electrodes are arrange in the mould of electroslag remelting installations.

What we claim is:

l. A device for fixing a plurality of electrodes disposed in spaced apart array and supplying current thereto, said device comprising in combination with said electrodes:

stationary current supply contacts disposed adjacent each of said plurality of electrodes;

a plurality of wedge shaped means each operatively associated with alternate spaces of said spaced cally insulated from each other. 

1. A device for fixing a plurality of electrodes disposed in spaced apart array and supplying current thereto, said device comprising in combination with said electrodes: stationary current supply contacts disposed adjacent each of said plurality of electrodes; a plurality of wedge shaped means each operatively associated with alternate spaces of said spaced apart array of electrodes; pressure exerting means connected to each of said plurality of wedge shaped means and operating to move each of said plurality of wedge shaped means into a corresponding one of said alternate spaces whereby each of said electrodes are urged against respective adjacent ones of said stationary current supply contacts.
 2. A device according to claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of wedge shaped means comprises at least two mechanically interconnected parts which are electrically insulated from each other. 